Two Wheels. One Dark Lord.

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“School is like a 12 step brainwash camp.”

Known for talking about the tough issues when other ‘hip hop’ artists are just showing money and selling out, these guys represent in a way no else dares to: Dead Prez.

Dead Prez has for a long time been my favorite for the simple reason a lot of their lyrics I respond to with: “Yup, I could not have said it better.” and “Yeah! That’s right!!” and if asked: “Who would you want to meet in the world of hip hop?” I would say that I would want to meet Stick-man and M1. When I’m angry at this world for being so goddamn unfair, no one has been able to reach my heart-song like DEAD PREZ. They might not be *spectacular* but in the TRUTH department, few can come close.

Tonight, I got to meet them… In my current neighborhood. I was able to share some conversation with these guys, and they heard me. They GOT me, just like I GET them.
It was like having dinner in the general’s tent, followed by a walk to an empty school that is going to be turned into a community center. The young kid M1 is with is named Bryn King – I saw him at the show and he wanted me to mention his name. Bryn King is an aspiring poet.

“They schools ain’t teaching us what we need to learn to survive.”They Schools.

Months ago, with wine and laptop, I saw as many videos of theirs as I felt like and listened to a series of tracks. I encourage the same. Then close up your block to the POLICE. Stay hard. You see, it’s not about who is or is not black, and songs of this nature are not to be taken to heart literally. It is the inevitable result of too much of the same old bullshit for too long.

I saw that there was going to be some hip hop music on the television once. They said Snoopy the dog would be there. I figured, “It’s a little early for Easter, but the kids like Charley Brown. What’s the harm?”

I’ll tell you this-I sent the kids to bed. I’ve never heard such filth.

They ended the show with THIS WORLD IS BIGGER THAN HIP HOP at 2:00 AM last night. Their set at the club Chop Suey (my first time there) was short, but the acts before them were just genuine and very good (but loud) I am still, the next morning, very happy that I met my favorite rap artists and they are pretty skilled on stage, I can testify. Big Jonny, thanks for the improved links embedded. I’m thinking that ‘you can fuck with’ DP… I told Stick to check out drunkcyclist.com

Elbowspeak – I suppose I must be not hard because I live in what you call a pedo-van, right? Maybe I’m soft because I don’t do as many miles on my bike as you do. Surely there’s a lot of ways I don’t cut it… But I’ll tell you this from across town, living in my as-we-speak being gentrified Central ‘ghetto’: FUCK YOU. What the fuck do YOU do for money? Is it more righteous and pure than selling records and taking a cut of cover fees in a night?

Bullshit. Sure it is. LIFE is fair. It’s fair even for the chick that gets eaten right after hatching. Life is balanced and FAIR in every species but humans – the only one to use money as the key to survival.
Every creature on the planet is born with an equal chance. Fair. Humans are born into have or have-not status and it’s like trying to play a monopoly game where the initial start-up capital is $1 for you and all the rest for the opponent.
Anyone who shrugs and just goes along, dead fish like, saying: “Just the way it is.” is part of the problem. The real HOPE message is that people can solve problems when they work together instead of as individuals, alienated and unhappy, enslaved to chasing paper all their lives.
In other countries, they are working on the wealth inequity problem and some have seen huge improvements. In the USA – not so… this is the biggest police state in the world. No one has freedom unless they TAKE it. If you DON’T CHEAT, YOU CAN’T WIN. Start game… you have $1.

You really are a whining piece of shit, aren’t you?
Think I’m going to watch videos you suggest after a tirade like that?
Can’t stand that someone has more balls than you, and is willing to
do what he believes is right? That bugs you THAT much, doesn’t it?

Point taken Uncle but I can’t resist. You could set a watch to this crap. Once a month we’re treated to an installment of “why my inferiority complex has made it impossible to interact with a larger society.”. It’s may favorite Seattle-based show.

Thanks for this post DC, I have ben listening to Dead Prez for about eight years now and I love their take and style on all fronts! I am so glad to here you enjoy it as well. My kids favorit song is “Be Healthy” I am so glad to here a band that you can feel the soul power of music through.

Sorry I forgot to mention that song. Thanks, Tee. There’s something really to be said for a hip-hop artist to be singing about how we gotta eat better. Everyone likes that song.
The bar at that club didn’t sell a lot of alcohol that night. Many were inspired to have a sober evening. The Dark Lord wasn’t present in the light of these geniuses spitting real-est lyr-ics.
You naysayers who are trying to pick on me – is it any clearer that you are just jealous that it ain’t you that got to hang out with DP?
You’re obviously clueless about me. Senna doesn’t have an inferiority complex. It’s the other way around. I don’t have to be ‘light’ all the fucking time and neither do you. You think it’s funny… OK, fine.
If you recognize me in a park and are unwilling to or afraid to say hello to me, making some specious and imagined conclusion that I’m ‘drunk’ or ‘anti-social’ then I got no use for you, especially if you continue to make attempts at hurting my feelings safely behind your keyboard. You’re clearly a snob and/or coward. I don’t share your misery.

You cyber-bullies are the biggest pieces of shit on the internet. Your nonsense doesn’t bother me enough to matter, but I’ll finish up with these few sentences. In this ‘subculture’ here it is best custom to ignore this kind of crap, but I feel up to responding – and that’s why you keep harassing. You and others can say it’s all my fault if you like. Ike, I’m guessing you’re some jerk-off that interacts with your own insular group and you think that you all are “larger society”… you just keep hanging on to that idea. I’m finished wasting my time ‘talking’ to you at this point. If you feel big enough to tell me face to face about my ‘inferiority complex’ then please let me know, I’d be glad to meet you and talk about it in person, or if you happen to come to Seattle and care enough to share how well you know me.
Please leave the ‘room’ and I ask that you quit responding to my posts, because you have nothing worthwhile to say, Ike. GFYS

“Coins in the jar.” You know, that’s actually kinda funny. I mean, ya’ll are just poking my man with sticks & getting him all fired up just because you can. Everyone wants the last word so the thread just never ends. Ya’ll need to just go for a nice bike ride together and then bust open a twelve pack on the back porch.

I hope that I have steered clear of actually picking on lj, at least recently. However, homeboy does have a big problem distinguishing dissagreement and ribbing from bullying and abuse. Maybe I’ve lost my ability to see it since academia involves a bit of hazing and surviving grad school involves at least a little Stockholm Syndrome, but some careful application of Rule #5 has been in order for him for a while. None the less, I would be happy to take that ride and drink that beer. Any time you make it to the southland, lj. Central TX is beautiful this time of year. In fact I’m going for a ride. It’s about the most perfect day we’ve had since May… I think there’s a new jersey I need to fly…